


Traditions

by neuronary



Series: Azula Week 2020 [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Azula Week 2020, Canon Compliant, F/F, Gen, Sharing a Bed, Sleepovers, Touch-Starved, also azula is touch starved because that's basically canon, i angsted too much so have fluff instead, technically, the ultimate point is that mai and ty lee bully azula into taking better care of herself, you can read this as dating, you can read this as not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25203616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neuronary/pseuds/neuronary
Summary: Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee honour an old tradition.(It's a slumber party, Azula.)
Relationships: Azula & Mai & Ty Lee, Azula/Mai/Ty Lee
Series: Azula Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1803277
Comments: 13
Kudos: 296





	Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> If you know me, you know I will die on the hill that in private Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are really close friends.
> 
> Have some fluff because I out-angsted myself writing the last installment.
> 
> Also, sorry it's late. I'm hoping to get everything else up soon but no promises. Stuff's happening.
> 
> ~Neu

Azula didn’t think they’d come. She’d hoped, privately, in what was left of the part of her mind that not even Ozai could get to. Hope wasn’t the same as belief, though it could be manipulated in a very similar fashion. Hope was much safer.

She was reading an old copy of  _ Love Amongst the Dragons  _ when they snuck in through the window.

“I really do need to speak with Captain Izumi about the Royal Guard’s night shifts,” she said mildly, careful not to look up and give the impression that she had been waiting.

Ty Lee grinned like a maniac. “I brought fire flakes from the kitchens.”

Mai’s lips quirked upwards for a fraction of a second, meaning she was on the verge of hysterical joy. Azula rolled up the script.

“You’re not eating those in my bed.”

“I know, I know, you hate crumbs more than you hate Zuko. We’ll keep off until we’re done.”

Azula sighed and rolled out of bed to snag a few. “Mild, Ty Lee? Really?”

“We’re non-benders, Az, we don’t have your heat resistant throat.”

Mai smirked again. Azula didn’t need to look to see Ty Lee preening. She always loved being able to make them laugh. Or smirk, in Mai’s case. 

“Weaklings,” Azula muttered, without really meaning it. “Anyway, what news from court?”

“Rumours about Lady Meixiu’s parentage have cropped up again,” Mai offered, propping her legs on Ty Lee’s lap so that she could stretch across the couch properly. Azula rolled her eyes and stole a cushion to sit on Ty Lee’s other side.

“Do I need to put in any more appearances?”  _ Has anyone tried to get at you? _

“No, it’s fine,” Ty Lee said, looping their arms together and pressing her cheek into Azula’s shoulder with a contented sigh. “You scared everyone pretty good last time.”

“Of course I did,” Azula replied, making sure not to overthink just how hyper-aware she was of Ty Lee’s skin pressing into hers. It was fine, she was just unused to it. It had been years since they’d had a chance to get together like this.

“Old General Wu actually flinches every time he sees us now.” Mai shut her eyes and let her head fall back onto the arm of the couch. Azula watched her jaw moving as she chewed on her fire flakes, slightly distracted. She’d forgotten Mai left her neck vulnerable like that when they were in private. It was nice.

They continued on, gossiping about all sorts and sharing stories from their time apart, until Ty Lee yawned, so suddenly it seemed to surprise even her, and Azula had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling at the look on her face.

“Bedtime then?” Mai said, tipping the remaining fire flakes into her mouth without even offering them to her friends. Azula rolled her eyes.

“I have more work to get done.” It wasn’t exactly her work, but  _ someone _ had to look over the budget reports and her father didn’t have the head for numbers.

Ty Lee and Mai exchanged a not-as-surreptitious-as-they-thought-it-was glance.

“Don’t you dare,” Azula tried to say, but they had already grabbed her limbs and picked her up. “I hate you both.”

“It’s only natural,” said Ty Lee, dumping her very unceremoniously on her bed.

Azula immediately sat up and righted her pyjamas.

“If you get back out of bed I will chi-block you.”

There was a long pause.

Azula lay back down and glared. Mai very easily lay down next to her and settled.

“I’ll help you with them in the morning,” she murmured, tone flat. “They can’t be any more boring than listening to Zuko’s angsting.”

Azula groaned slightly. “Is he  _ still  _ on that? He may as well paint ‘I’m going to commit treason in two to four business days’ on the back of his ceremonial armour.”

Mai hummed, eyes shut and very much not paying attention.

“I think he’ll last longer,” said Ty Lee, from Azula’s other side.

“Can we go to sleep now?”

“I wouldn’t mind so much if it weren’t for all the trouble we went to in Ba Sing Se,” Azula grumbled, heedlessly. “You’d think he’d be subtle, at the very least. Especially since the Fire Lord’s just looking for an excuse to get rid of him again.”

Ty Lee’s hand curled into Mai’s kantha, which meant she must have thrown an arm over Azula’s stomach. The lack of fire in the room was a testament to her exhaustion.

Mai was almost impressed.

“I’m sure he’ll get over it,” Ty Lee said, between yawns. “He’ll have to cheer up eventually.”

“Can we talk politics in the morning, please? I’m tired.”

"Wow, Azula, your hair is so soft! What do you put in it?" Ty Lee’s compliance was never endingly difficult to secure 

"Papaya-lime extract," Azula replied, stifling a yawn.

"If you two don't pipe down," growled Mai, "I will pin you to the bed."

"Are you legally allowed to tell the princess to 'pipe down'?"

"Do you keep knives in your pyjamas, too?"

"Shut.  _ Up _ ."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! You can come find me on [tumblr](https://neuronary.tumblr.com/) if you want to yell at me about avatar or my fics.
> 
> I'm also a beta reader and I'm currently taking on new fics. If you want me to beta your writing you can hit me up on [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/beta/12983219/neuronary), DM me on tumblr, or message me on Discord (neuronary #7964).
> 
> And, to top everything off, I have an avatar discord server [memebenders](https://discord.gg/zrd3ryM), where we debate important topics such as 'did wan shi tong and koh have a messy break up?' and 'did sokka eat the rose in the southern raiders or did he just drop it?'


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